Season of Friendship
by life in perspective
Summary: This is a short one-shot that takes place during the Christmas holiday in Season Two. It is a stand-alone story, although it does fit within my Resolute Strength universe.


Disclaimer: Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions are the rightful owners of Scarecrow and Mrs. King, its characters, and its premise. The plot for this story and any original characters remain property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended; this work is written solely for the pleasure of the author and the readers, and no profit is being made. This story, however, does belong to its author, and any reproduction or distribution is prohibited without authorization of said author.

_Author's Note: Hi, everyone! I'm back- I never intended to be gone as long as I have been, but real life got in the way. Here's a little one-shot that takes place at Christmas in Season Two. Never fear- I will be writing the next story in my Resolute Strength universe, the sequel to Season of Change, in the future. -A_

Season of Friendship

December 19, 1984

Amanda stood, gazing out her living room window. Her two boys, Philip and Jamie, were playing football in the front yard, happy to finally be on Christmas break. She sighed as she thought to herself yet again how very close they'd come to not having a front yard at all to play in. It hadn't been that long since she'd helped Lee disarm a nuclear bomb planted in Arlington National Cemetery. An involuntary shudder flowed through her body as she remembered that terrible day and how close they'd all come to oblivion.

She turned as she heard her mother dragging the last box of clothing they were going to deliver to the Salvation Army to the front door. In the last few weeks, Amanda had been in charge of the PTA's annual clothing drive for the less fortunate. "Mother, Peggy just called- she'll be here in a few minutes. Are you sure you don't want me to go?"

"No, darling, you stay here. You've been working so hard at that job of yours lately. You deserve an afternoon off. Besides, Peggy's mother isn't going to be in town very long and I haven't had a chance to visit with her in ages!" Dotty responded, grinning at her daughter.

Amanda smiled, knowing that her mother was looking for some good, juicy gossip. Martha Peabody had been one of Dotty's best friends before moving to Los Angeles to live with her son. Dotty was convinced now that Martha knew all the latest dirt on all the celebrities from Hollywood. Just then, Amanda saw Peggy's station wagon pull up. Dotty and Amanda each grabbed a box to take out to the car.

Peggy got out of her car and waved. "Hi, Amanda! Looks like you really collected a lot of clothing for the Christmas drive this year!"

"Yeah, well, it's for a good cause and people like to be helpful this time of year. Are you sure you don't need me to help you deliver the boxes?"

"We've got it all under control. Boys, are you ready? Max and David rented some really good movies for tonight!" Philip and Jamie raced into the house and grabbed their duffle bags.

"Thanks for having them over," Amanda whispered. "They were really disappointed when I told them Joe wouldn't make it home for Christmas… again."

"We love having them, Amanda. I just hate that their father is missing out on so much with them. You've got two great boys there."

Amanda sighed and smiled. Joe had called late the night before, apologizing for not coming home yet again. It had now been almost two years since he'd seen the boys. 'I hope that whatever is going on in Africa is worth what you're missing,' she had thought to herself at the time.

"I'll be home late, darling," Dotty said as she got into the front seat of Peggy's car. "Do have a good time, all right?"

"I will, Mother," Amanda smiled. "You and Martha enjoy yourselves. Boys, you be good for the Lightners. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

She stood and waved at the car, then walked back into the house. It would be nice to have some peace and quiet for once, she thought to herself. In the past year, her life had been turned upside down in the best way possible. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was actually making a difference in the world. Although there were still people at the Agency who wouldn't give her credit for anything, Mr. Melrose always seemed to be proud of her and Lee seemed to finally be seeing her as more of a partner than a nuisance. The days of him simply using her to get out of the drudgery of paperwork were all in the past.

SMK SMK SMK

Thirty minutes later, Amanda was relaxing on her couch, reading her new mystery novel and drinking some hot chocolate. As she took a sip, the phone rang. Amanda rolled her eyes, then got up and answered it. When she realized it was Lee on the other end, she realized her quiet day would probably have to wait. "Hi, Lee. What's going on?"

"We need for you to come down to the Agency."

"Oh?" Amanda perked up, then looked longingly at her new book. She'd been wanting to read it for ages and hadn't had a chance. "But Mr. Melrose told me I could have today off…"

"Well… something came up," Lee hedged. Amanda was silent for several moments, so he continued, "All right, I was hoping you might help me finish up my expense reports for the year…"

"I thought you were supposed to have them finished last week!" she scolded.

"I know, I know, but then I had to deal with all those meetings with the Soviet diplomats and then the paperwork from that last European assignment… come on, Amanda," he cajoled, "you know you do a better job than me on that stuff and you're twice as fast!"

"All right," she sighed. "It was just that I finally had an afternoon to myself."

"Oh…hey, what if I brought them by?"

"I guess that would be better…but you're going to wait here until they're done. I don't want to try to find you when I'm finished."

"Deal! I'll be right there." Lee hung up the phone before she could say anything else.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and went back to the couch. Maybe she could get through one chapter before she had to put it down.

SMK SMK SMK

Lee walked up to Amanda's door, feeling somewhat awkward in doing so. Normally, he snuck in through the backyard, avoiding any neighbors' prying eyes. As he passed the window, he saw her sitting on the couch, obviously engrossed in a book of some sort. He felt somewhat chagrined at his selfishness. He did need to complete the expense reports, but he had ulterior motives for wanting them done quickly.

Gillian had called him last night, offering him a second chance with her and her Poconos lodge. It was an offer he wasn't going to refuse, especially since he'd left her high and dry when Billy had sent him to bail Amanda out in Germany. Now, he felt terrible that he'd ruined Amanda's quiet day. She didn't get too many of them since she'd been working at the Agency more and more lately.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He turned around and walked back to his Corvette, making sure to leave before Amanda looked up.

Inside the house, Amanda sighed and looked at her watch. Lee usually didn't take this long to bring things over. Something else must have come up…probably one of his many lady friends. She shook her head and began reading again. 'If he shows up, he shows up…' she thought to herself. 'It's not me who'll be in trouble if the reports are late.'

SMK SMK SMK

An hour later, Lee again walked up to her door, carrying a small festive package in his hands, along with the box of receipts. He rang the doorbell, then waited for her to open the door.

"Hi, Lee," she sighed. "Come on in- take the box to the dining room, if you don't mind. I'll have more room there." She pulled out a chair and sat down wearily.

He followed her in, feeling even more guilty. He set the box on the table, then held out the present to her. "Uh, Amanda, I really appreciate you doing this for me. I know I kind of ruined your day, so I thought I'd go ahead and give you your Christmas present."

She looked up at him and saw the present. A smile slowly spread across her face as she whispered, "You got me a present?"

He nodded and answered, "Yeah, it's really nothing, you know. Just something I thought you'd like because, you know…we're friends and you do help me out some and, well…anyway, just open the darn thing."

Amanda took the present from him, smiling inwardly. He really didn't like anyone to think he cared, she thought to herself. "Thanks, Lee, I'm sure I'll love it."

She pulled the green and red tissue paper out, then saw something silver in the bottom. She reached in and pulled out a beautiful, sterling silver picture frame. On the bottom of the frame, she saw there was an inscription. She looked closer and saw it was a quote from Jane Austen, reading, "There is nothing like staying home for real comfort."

She looked up at Lee and said, "This is really lovely, Lee, thank you so much."

"Yeah, well, I thought you could put a picture of your boys in it or something like that," Lee explained, then coughed. "So, um, what do you need me to do to get these done?"

She grinned and said, "Have a seat, Lee. We'll get this knocked out in no time. I take it you have a special date tonight?"

He stared at her, then nodded. She really did know him pretty well.

SMK SMK SMK

An hour later, Amanda put the finishing touches on the report and handed it to him. "You're all set here. You just need to sign them and turn them in to Marge."

"I really do appreciate this, Amanda. You saved me hours of work."

"Eh, what are friends for?" She glanced up at him, then said, "Wait here for a second."

She ran up the stairs and pulled out the Christmas package she'd prepared for him earlier that week. She walked back down and held it out to him.

He grinned and said, "You didn't have to get me anything," as he grabbed the box from her. He eagerly ripped the paper off the package then laughed when he saw what it was. "Where did you find this?" He was amazed- she'd found a model kit of his dearly departed Porsche. It was the right year model and everything.

"Oh, there's a hobby shop not too far from here. I described the car to the man there, and he found this buried in his back room. I thought you might enjoy putting it together, especially since yours went off to car heaven."

"This is great, Amanda, thank you." He gave her a grin and she smiled back. Then, she began placing all the organized receipts back into his box and he put the model and his report on top. He picked up the box and she walked him to the front door.

"Thanks for your help. I guess I'll see you next week," Lee said as he made his way down the sidewalk. "Hey, before I forget- Yuri has invited us to go to the Soviet Embassy for their New Year's Eve celebration. Do you wanna go?"

"You don't have a date lined up?" Amanda asked, giving him a knowing look.

"Nah," Lee scoffed. "Women expect too much when you take them out on nights like that. Besides, it might be fun to see what the Soviets do."

"OK," Amanda smiled. "Sounds like it'll be fun. I guess I'll see you then."

Lee waved as he walked out to his car. She watched for a moment, then turned around and walked back to the dining room to look at her picture frame. The frame was heavy, indicating that it wasn't cheaply made. Lee still remained somewhat of an enigma to her, even after knowing him for as long as she had. He tried desperately to keep up that stoic Scarecrow façade he'd mastered, but she was beginning to see more and more of the real Lee from within.

She smiled to herself. She was going to bring that wonderful man out of hiding if it was the last thing she did. She knew _that_ Lee would be well worth the wait. "Merry Christmas, Scarecrow," she whispered out loud, then picked up her book and began enjoying the rest of her solitude.


End file.
